Gareth Bale has put the recent reports linking him with a move to Manchester United to bed by committing his future to Real Madrid.

The Welsh international joined the Spanish capital club for a world record fee of £86m from Tottenham Hotspur in the summer of 2013. In his debut season, he won the Copa del Rey and the Champions League and was part of the Real team that won the Club World Cup earlier this month.

United manager Louis van Gaal had earlier refused to deny that the Premier League outfit are keen on securing the services of Bale. However, the former Tottenham man has now said his future is at the Spanish capital club.

"Manchester United? I'm happy in Madrid. I love the city, the weather and the club. I have a contract with Real Madrid until 2019 and could remain for more years after the end of it," Bale told Marca.

The 25-year-old has already scored 13 goals and registered four assists in all competitions this season. Bale's comments come just a day after Real president Florentino Perez admitted that the La Liga giants will not let Bale leave Santiago Bernabeu.

"We haven't received an offer from Manchester United or from any other club for Gareth Bale. We would never listen to an offer for Bale, no matter how big it was", Perez explained.

With Bale expressing his desire to continue with his current employers, United have to look elsewhere in the transfer market to strengthen the squad. Their priority this season will be to return to the Champions League which they missed out after finishing seventh in the league table.